Mark C. Wilkins, British Fighter Aircraft in World War I (Casemate, 2021)
Most books on World War I warplanes focus on their effectiveness in combat or the experience of the pilots over the trenches. But how did the planes get there in the first place? Mark Wilkins tells the stories of the British designers and manufacturers who overcame considerable odds to build Britain’s air war capability. Along the way, we gain a new appreciation for these aircraft and for some of the men who keep the promise of these early machines alive for modern, but more peaceful, audiences.
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Designing and building fighters was an intensely competitive business, according to Wilkins, and in the years before the Great War, Britain lagged far behind Germany and France. The desire to participate changed rapidly with the realisation that Britain was no longer an island and air power was the coming force. Limited resources, and seemingly limited thinking, pushed Britain down a different path for aircraft design and manufacturing. Wilkins ponders the British aircraft industry at war, which had to produce quickly using a mostly untrained female workforce, resulting in simplified designs. It did not help that the Royal Navy and army were prioritised over aircraft production. Wilkins describes the production process in fine detail before embarking on a chapter by chapter review of the major aircraft producers, such as B&CAC, the Royal Aircraft Factory, Airco, Avro, and the Sopwith Aviation Company.
The main chapters are potted business histories in a way, detailing how the main characters became involved in the industry, their first planes, and the ones they were famous for with the necessary technical details added. Those iconic planes include the Bristol Bulldog, S.E.5a, AMC D.H.2, Avro 504, and Sopwith Camel. Wilkins also describes the various engines and props used on these planes. He adds some fascinating asides, such as General Henderson mandating that the Royal Aircraft Factory could not produce planes that flew over 100mph! Or Tom Sopwith using his sister’s sewing machine to sew the fabric coverings for his first planes. Wilkins concludes by reiterating his thesis of a dynamic aircraft industry springing to life when the Great War began, which was led by entrepreneurs who succeeded despite government restrictions. Their impact is still felt today. A couple of appendices close out Wilkins’ book: The 1915 Defence of the Realm Act and some Aircraft Designer Patents.
This is a book that hits you between the eyes from the first page with beautiful colour photographs of British warplanes in flight. They are supported throughout by monochrome photographs of the men and women built the planes, technical drawings, contemporary adverts for aircraft related products, and graphic art pictures. But it’s not really a book about the planes; rather, it is how they came to appear over the battlefields that interests Wilkins, something that adds to our understanding of how the War was fought. Arguably the stars of the book appear in the sidebars by David Bremner, John Shaw, John Gaertner, Kip Lankeneau, and John Saunders, who reconstruct these magnificent aircraft. Wilkins writes well, managing to balance technical detail with the stories of the men behind these planes. References to England instead of Britain are annoying for some of us, but that is a quibble for a book that is thoroughly enjoyable for those interested in World War I British warplanes.
